Roscoe Land Use Debate

Too many houses and not enough businesses, some say that's the problem the village of Roscoe is facing, but there may be even more residential development on the way as the village planning commission takes another look at land use in the area.

David Noel has spent a lot of time in front of a zoning map recently. Monday night at a Village Hall meeting he'll key in on the McCurry Road corridor. It’s now zoned for industrial, but Noel says it may be better suited for residential.

"The soils and geology of the area have limitations for buildings that have a heavier weight load," says planning commissioner David Noel.

First Rockford Group has already proposed a housing development for the site but can't act on it until zoning is changed. However, when it comes to development in Roscoe, Loren Hainchek says this is what his village does not need.

"I'm against more houses," says Hainchek.

More homes will mean more people, and that means more children in local schools, but Hainchek says the growth will come without the tax base from commercial or industrial development to help support it, especially if there's no more land left for those uses.

"There's not a very good balance right now, balance, you've got to have balance no matter what you want to do," says Hainchek.

Noel says the planning commission is trying to tip the scale in the right direction. They're also looking at areas that could be changed from commercial or residential to industrial use.

But as far as McCurry Road, "Even if we plan for industrial development, if the site is not suitable, it's not going to be developed," says Noel.

The planning commission will present its first report on zoning recommendations to the board by April.

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